Measured-section rope package



May 19, 1942.

G. F. WATERBURY MEASURED-SECTION ROPE PACKAGE Filed March :5, 1939 Patented May 19, 1942 2 cam-3o STATES PTNT OFFICE mnAsonnn-sncfi iir noru PACKAGE Q r Grenville F. Waterbury, New York, N. Y. Application March 3, 1939, Serial No. 259,600

1 Claim.

The object of the present invention is to provide means for simplifying the handling of rope for retail sales thereof. Rope, because of its weight and bulk presents peculiar problems in its handling, particularly in the places of sale where lengths of different sizes are required.

It has been customary practice in coiling rope to form the convolutions in such manner that the rope is pulled from the center of the coil, the convolutions extending from the center to the periphery being successively removed until there is a single convolution defining the periphery. It will thus be seen that the outside form of the coil is maintained until the outermost convolutions are removed. In thus removing rope from the coil there is a tendency to distort the rope structure.

For many years'it has been customary practice to coil rope into coils generally 600 minimum, to enclose the coil in a burlap wrapping and ship the package of rope thus formed to the points of distribution and retail sale. The trend of retail sales of rope recites that the majority of sales are in 100 or smaller cut lengths, and hence it has been necessary for the retailer, upon an order for rope to supply the rope by pulling the same from the coil, measuring it, and finally cutting off the length of rope which was desired.

A specific object of the invention is to simplify the method of measured-section rope handling for retail sale and to overcome a further disadvantage in the present practice, as follows:

Due to the inclusion of rope sold under present practice, in the large coil, and generally sewed in burlap, the article itself does not lend itself for attractive or convenient display and therefore it is usual to maintain the coils behind counters and in the storage rooms away from display. My method and article eliminates this necessity and lends attractiveness and convenience to the display and handling of coils of rope, irrespective of the length and gauge thereof, in that they may be attractively displayed and conveniently sold in rigid, self-sustaining units from which the rope is drawn from the periphery of the coil, in each case, thus minimizing the time heretofore required in completing the sale, reducing sales costs, and preventing kinking and distortion of the rope in the cut length sales thereof.

In addition, my method and article enables transportation of the given length of the retail sales units of rope from the place of sale to the user, without possibility of damage to the rope. My method and article also stimulates the sale of greater lengths of rope than actually needed at the time by the buyer inasmuch as the article maintains theform and holds the rope against abrasion in a convenient, compact, and attractive manner, so that a user may find it desirable to purchase a reserve supply of rope in addition to that actually required at the time.

The invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1-is a perspective view of an article in accordance with the invention and comprising a rigid, cylindrical body composed of three units of rope as, for example, three units of 50' each, each unit being severable from the other units.

Figure 2 is a side elevation, partly broken away, of the structure shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a transverse sectional elevation on the line 33, Figure 2.

Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary section taken on the line 44, Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 4, showing a modified form of interlocking means for the rope drums.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary front elevation of the structure shown in Figure 5.

Referring to the drawing, I have shown at I, 2 and 3, three drums, each comprising two spaced apertured disks of wood, fibre board, metal, plastic, or other suitable rigid material, the two disks of each drum being firmly held by a tubular mandrel 4.

Abutting disks of the three drums are detachably secured together by readily removable and detachable means as, for example, the overlying strip members 5, which strip members may be of anydesired material as, for example, metal, pasted paper or other cellulosic material; and when metal is used it may be in the form of clips, staples, eyelets or other fastening means, as desired, inorder to accomplish the required result, i. e., a stable, rigid, plural-unit structure when the rope is wound around the drums, the clips shown being illustrative.

When it is realized that with rope the required diameter of the disks for of A rope, may be 9" diameter, and the weight of three units comprising 300' may be above twenty pounds, it will be seen that the disks, mandrels and interconnecting means for the drums must be strong and rigid in order to support the article during handling.

The rope may be wound upon the drum units by applying the rope end to the mandrel of the right-hand drum and winding convolutions upon the drum until the required length, say 100, is

applied upon the drum at the time when the rope lies adjacent the left-hand disk of the mandrel. The rope is then led to the mandrel of the second drum and the winding proceeded with as before until the required length is wound. The winding may also be reverse to that just described. The rope is then passed over abutting disks of the second and third drums, is wound in the manner shown in Figure 2, the final end of the rope being passed through an eye as at 6, Figure 1, for securing in position, or any other suitable securing means may be employed. Any desired multiple of drums may be employed. The overlying sections of rope between abutting drums materially serve as important supplementary holding means for the sections of the article. In the drawing the rope'is indicated at numeral 1.

In some cases, as when the drum disks are made of metal, it may be desirable to cut the disks at points of abutment with other disks as at C, Figure 6, and to bend down the area of metal lying intermediate the cuts to form the integral holding clip 2:10, this being done at a suitable number of points.

Also, as primary or supplementary means for holding the drums into a rigid body, a metal tube, or rod of wood or other material, may be passed through the mandrels 4 and held therein either by friction or by means of a head at one end of the tube or rod, or a collar threaded on the opposite end of the tube or rod, as shown in Figure 2, wherein the headed tube 8 is threaded at its end opposite the head to receive the collar 9 or a fiber or wood tube or rod may be glued to the disks.

When the rigid package comprising a plurality of drums of any desired number, three being shown as an example, is received by a retail store,

the structure may be placed upon a shaft which may be supported by a suitable frame or stand for display and handling purposes. In some cases, the rod or tube within the mandrels, when used, may extend a short distance beyond the outermost disks so as to afiord projections for fitting into holding notches or upon other shoulder means provided by a supporting display stand.

In my structure I specifically join the drums together in such manner as to form a rigid selfsustaining body composed of a plurality of coils of rope, measured lengths may be removed from one coil without changing the balance of the unitary structure, the structure being adapted to rotate as a unit as measured lengths of rope are withdrawn from any one of the plurality of ropes; and it is unnecessary to bind the rope wound on any individual drum, additional advantages having been hereinbefore set forth.

Having described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is as follows:

A rope package for retail sales comprising a plurality of mandrels, a coil of ropewound upon each of the mandrels and having a predetermined measured length, the rope of the several coils being integrally connected, spaced disks carried by each mandrel and abutting the ends of the rope coil thereon, and means carried by the disks and comprising clip members carried by one disk and folded over the peripheral areas of an abutting disk and connecting abutting disks of the several mandrel and disk structures and detachably connecting the same together in such manner as to bond the mandrels, disks and rope into a rigid, self -sustaining body.

GRENVILLE F. \VATERBURY. 

